Sydney Australia: – FFA congress member and APFCA Chairman Greg Griffin attended today’s FFA AGM fulfilling his role as the sole A-League representative of the current congress.

The meeting considered six resolutions relating to FFA governance. These had been put unilaterally by the FFA Board for congress consideration on the final day of the FIFA deadline for FFA congress reform. Mr. Griffin voted against all six motions. In doing so he represented the unanimous views of APFCA members that the resolutions did not represent consensus motions from the three FIFA identified stakeholders in the reform of FFA governance – the Member Federations, the A-League Clubs and Professional Footballers Australia.

The most important of the motions (number 6) the composition of the Congress was defeated (seven votes in favour, three votes against) meaning that the matter of FFA congress reform had not been achieved by the FIFA deadline of the 30th of November.

On the 5th of July FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura wrote to the FFA CEO outlining the direction given by the FIFA Associations Committee – specifically “to find agreement on an alternative model with all stakeholders (Member Federations, A-League clubs and PFA), also taking into account the importance of gender equality. Furthermore, the Committee decided that if the FFA membership is not expanded based on the above parameters by 30 November 2017, it would recommend the establishment of a normalisation committee to the FIFA Council.”

Speaking after the AGM Mr. Griffin said: “Our position was guided by the fact that two of the three FIFA identified stakeholders, APFCA and the PFA, have identified two threshold matters that are fundamental to achieving an outcome of good governance. They are that no single stakeholder should ever again hold a majority equal to, or Page 2 of 2

greater than the prescribed majority required to elect Board Directors and that any congress reform solution must recognize the importance of gender equality in football in a meaningful way. The FFA Board’s unilateral resolutions fell far short on both matters.”

He added: “FIFA has been clear for the last 14 months about what is required. The FFA Board has continuously ignored those requirements and the ongoing direction from FIFA. What has motivated them to do so is clearly for them to answer, but they have lost focus on the ongoing needs of our game and have now “lost the dressing room”.